Sep 2, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Valkyries guard Veronica Burton (22) loses the ball between New York Liberty center Jonquel Jones (35) and guard Kennedy Burke (22) during the second quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

Playoff-Bound Liberty Beaten in Bay Area by Valkyries

Originally posted on New York Liberty on SI
By Geoff Magliocchetti | Last updated Sep 3, 2025 11:00 AM ET

Brutality in the Bay Area marred the New York Liberty's clinching of a 2025 WNBA playoff spot.

By falling 66-58 to the Golden State Valkyries on Tuesday night at Chase Center, the Liberty had to rely on the kindness of strangers to secure its spot on the WNBA bracket. It gives them an official opportunity to defend last year's championship and marks a franchise-best fifth consecutive dwelling among the Association's fateful eight.

That, however, was of little consolation for New York (24-17), which has now dropped six of nine with the postseason looming. Temi Fagbenle led the expansion Valkyries with 16 points, helping Golden State avoid a season sweep in its debut quartet against New York, which played Tuesday's game without Bay Area native Sabrina Ionescu.

Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

Still reeling from a stagnant second half in Phoenix, the Liberty got off to a better start thanks to an early breakout from Natasha Cloud, who scored the first nine seafoam points. But a scary second period, one that saw them outscored 26-8, once again forced the New Yorkers to climb out of an early hole. Six turnovers in the 10-minute stretch yielded 14 points for the hosting Valkyries and the Liberty shot only 3-of-14 in turn. Kate Martin led the way for Golden State with 11 period points.

Golden State inflated the lead to 24 shortly after the midway mark of the third, but the Liberty enjoyed a significant boost from the entry of Rebekah Gardner, who was responsible for a 12-point swing over the final 4:58 of the period. Combined with Breanna Stewart shaking off a brutal shooting night from deep with interior penetration that got to the foul line, the Liberty was able to trim the lead to 12 by the end of the period.

Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

Alas for the visitors, every potential momentum shift was undone by a self-inflicted error, and the Liberty never got closer than 10 until finally getting the deficit back to single digits in the closing stages. Cloud and Stewart led the Liberty with 19 points each, accounting for most of the tallies on the first night they were held below 60 points in a game since May 2022. Gardner became the second New Yorker to post a plus/minus of at least 16 while playing less than 15 minutes this season, joining Marine Johannes.

Despite missing former Liberty sixth woman and newly-minted All-Star Kayla Thornton for the season, Golden State (22-18) inched closer to becoming the first expansion club to reach the playoffs in its maiden voyage with its fourth consecutive win and eighth in the last 11. The Valkyries currently sit a game-and-a-half behind the Liberty for fifth place on the bracket with a game win hand, though New York has the season series tiebreaker by a 3-1 tally.

The Liberty will get a chance to salvage this road trip on Friday night when it hits the Pacific Northwest to face the Seattle Storm (10 p.m. ET, Ion).

This article first appeared on New York Liberty on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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